O! Christmas trees! Sales are growing this year in the Huntsville area

Dr. George Brown, owner of Valley Christmas Tree Plantation, checks over Arizona Cypress he grows along with several other species of trees at his farm off St. Clair Lane in Huntsville. (The Huntsville Times/Dave Dieter)

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- When you think of Christmas traditions, one of the first to pop in your mind is going to the lot to find the perfect Christmas tree.

The family gets in the car - or SUV, now - and heads out to browse through the collection of trees, taking in the smell that is unique to this time of year.

The tradition is made famous in movies from "A Wonderful Life" to "A Christmas Story" to "Christmas Vacation" and even in "A Charlie Brown Christmas."

Then, after the perfect tree is found, it is cut, bagged or netted and placed on top of the car for the ride home.

This year, the tradition is going strong with sales ahead of last year, according to national and local dealers.

"The past weekend was wonderful," said George Brown, the owner of Valley Christmas Tree Plantation in northern Madison County. "We're ahead of the pace last year, even considering the bad weather we've had."

While the weekend of Dec. 2-4 was a good one, he said about 80 percent of his business is during the week.

"It's a family affair," he said. "People pick up their kids and come out to get a tree."

The first weekend after Thanksgiving was a mix of good and bad for the retailers. Black Friday was fine but then came the Iron Bowl on Saturday and rain the next day.

"The first weekend was good ... until the Auburn-Alabama game," said Rob Hunt, owner of High Country Christmas Trees. "Then, Sunday (Dec. 4) was a washout.

"Last weekend, was very good and (this weekend) should be good."

Americans will spend about $800 million for 25 million real trees and another $2.6 billion on 10 million artificial versions during the holiday season, Nikoleta Panteva, a senior analyst at Los Angeles-based IBISWorld, told Bloomberg News.

"We expect strong tree sales this year and strong holiday sales overall," said Jean Niemi, a spokeswoman for Atlanta- based Home Depot, which is the biggest seller of cut trees. "History shows us that even in a down economy, the Christmas tradition isn't one that families part with."

Spending on Christmas trees is predicted to rise 3.1 percent to $3.4 billion, IBISWorld said. It would be the third straight year of an increase after plunging almost 11 percent in 2008, according to IBISWorld.

Hunt is based out of Boone, N.C., but has been coming to Huntsville for more than 25 years. He had been on Governors Drive across from the post office but now is at Carl T. Jones Drive. He also has a lot on Madison Boulevard at Wall Triana Highway.

Though he's changed locations, customers have been able to find him, he said.

"Now, we are next to Kohl's," Hunt said. "I've seen a lot of the folks when they were kids now bringing their kids.

Brown, a professional forester who was recently named professor emeritus in forestry at Alabama A&M, has been in the business for 36 years.

"36 years ago, there was no Christmas tree industry in Alabama," he said. "I was hired by Alabama A&M to research the industry, so we started growing the trees."He had a lot at the old Dunnavant Mall but moved when it was bought by Huntsville Hospital and "just decided to have a farm."

"We've got 2,500 to 3,000 (trees) ready to go," he said.

However, Brown said some of his customers are surprised to see what he doesn't grow.

"People get disappointed that we don't have firs and spruces that are traditional," Hunt said. "They won't grow in the South. We have Virginia and white pines, Leyland Cypress and Arizona Cypress."

Hunt brings his trees from his North Carolina farm - he has about 1,000 trees this year - but he also has to come down once or twice a year to find a lot and work with the local governments.

"Christmas tree sellers are an itinerant people," he said. "We have to plan, know where we can be in the city. You have to send out letters to people within 500 yards of where you want to set up."

He said it's a lot of work, but it's worth it.

"It's good to see the kids get excited and their parents," Hunt said. "We sometimes take pictures of them with the new tree.